In 2012, I met Jesus while out cutting down Ash trees for firewood. The meeting of Jesus and how it happened is what my previous blog post has been about. That event turned my whole world upside down, and I have been struggling and dealing with the new reality ever since.
Meeting Jesus and the way that I did it is not the problem. Strangely, the problems that have developed in my life since that wonderful and blessed event are all tied to man’s attempts at Theology. Theo = God and logy meaning logic. God’s logic. Theology. What people teach each other in church and in their own homes about what God wants from each and every one of us.
I thought back in 2012 that I was ignorant about church, the Bible, and what God / Jesus wanted to see changed in me. Well, that is true, and I have had and continue to have breakthroughs in understanding. But since I am just a man and a sinner, like everyone everywhere is, my first supposition was wrong from the start. It is not that I am the ignorant one in the world, but rather, we are all ignorant because we are all sinners. Yes, sinners, but more than that, we all look for importance in our lives from everywhere except from our Creator.
Typically self-centered, I took on the world’s problems in 2012. I was the problem; I was the ignorant one. If I could correct the sin in me, I would better understand and do better by the world. Which, of course, would mean the world must first be perfect for that to be true. When worded that way, everyone can see that I was totally wrong. But it sure was hard to recognize the error in my logic when I was emotionally stressed out dealing with the shock of meeting our Creator in person.
The truth is that the world, in my opinion, is just as bad as me. Correcting myself was and is good. But no matter what I did to change me, the world at large continues to be just as it was. So, for example, when I went into churches with my new appreciation for our Creator and His Son Jesus, I expected that everyone in church was way ahead of me and understood so much more than I did about God and Jesus. Boy was I ever surprised, and continue to be surprised everyday just how far the church in general, has fallen away from God.
I will tell you, if you will hear me, that the main problem with the world’s understanding of theology is that the world does not believe what God says is true. I don’t mean that the world does not believe in the Bible or that it is true; I mean that the world does not believe God when He speaks to us through His Word in His Book. Take those Ten Commandments; we give lip service to how important they are, but we do not think them through or apply the words to ourselves as we live day to day. We seem to think it is enough to quote the words, or the book and verse, where to find the Commandments. We don’t actually apply those words to ourselves or our lives every minute of the day for the rest of our days… It appears to me that knowing the words is enough for the everyday man, but living our lives based on what the words say is simply asking too much.
Adam and Eve lost everything because they did not believe God. This is the root cause of all sin. Adam and Eve are sinners and all of their offspring are sinners because they did not, and their offspring does not to this very day, believe God when He speaks. It is really that simple and yet, profound. It is the same way with God’s Son Jesus. People read his words, quote his words, cherish his words, speak his words, but to not believe his words because if they did, they would have to change everything about their lives. This self introspection is too hard on people, they prefer living as they do in this modern world. The result, as far as God goes, is that God sees the lives people live as proof that they continue not to believe Him when He tells them what to do. They continue to sin against Him and His Son through their lack of belief.
I am just as bad. I am not writing these things to elevate myself above my readers. I live in this modern world too, and I like living as we all do. My frustration with myself can only be relieved by rereading God’s Word and really thinking about what He has said. I have even taken an interest in learning the definition of words as they were used during Moses’ day and during the first century of Jesus’ day. Dictionaries tell us how words are used today; you need to dig for what words meant to Jesus back 2,026 years ago. How can you be true to God and His Son if you don’t understand their words as they were used at the time? Take one word as an example. The word is Messiah. What does the word mean from 536 BC to 110 AD? How did the meaning of that word change by 325AD? After you have done a word search, ask yourself this simple question: When did Jesus become the Messiah, according to Jewish definition in the first century when Jesus lived? I will give you a hint. The definition of the word Messiah in Jesus’ day required that Jesus be anointed. Which means that, for you to understand the word ‘Messiah’ in Jesus’ day, you must also come to terms with the word’ anoint ‘ as used in Jesus ‘ day.
I am trying to come to grips with God’s truth versus my lifestyle everyday. I have been dealing with this stress for going on 14 years. I cannot just roll over and go back to sleep. I met God back in 2012, and I am not willing or able to forget that event. I wrestle with myself every day. There will come a day when I will die. I believe in Jesus, I have been cleansed in baptism, and I preach about him all the time, but when I die, it is God Himself who will judge me. I know this because Jesus has said so. Jesus said that he did not come to judge anyone but to save their souls. But there will come a day when we will be judged, and that Judge will be God, the Creator and Sustainer of all there is or ever will be.
I wonder every day, will my lifestyle today reflect the truth of God’s Word?
L.
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